Lacson says House'itemlz,edt funds
actually realigned to favored districts
ty Marlon Ramos
NO
@MRamosIN
ien. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday
Marned the .public against
alling for the House leaders'
laim that their decision to
temize the lump-sum allot-
nents in the long-delayed P3.8-
rillion budget for zorg was
neant to ensure "transparency."
Lacson, who had taken to task
ipeaker Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo
lnd her supporters in ttle House
,f Representatives for tinkering
vith the ratified spending bill, dis-
oissed their clatn as "hypocrisy''
nd described it as "revolting."
He said it was clear that the al-
lcations for the pet projects of
rnoyo and her allies suddenly in-
reased by P95.1 bilion after they
oanipulated the proposed nation-
I budget after its final version was
dopted by Congress on Feb. 8.
"Don't be fooled by con-
ressmen tasked to make us be-
,eve they merely 'itemized'
r'hen in fact, they arbitrarily re-
ligned to favored districts sev-
eral appropriations already ap-
proved by ... Congress thereby
sacrificing already vetted [gov-
ernmentl projects," Lacson said
in a Twitterpost.
Unconstitutional
"Trying to hide their uncon-
stitutiohal postratification bud-
get realignments by claiming ttley
wanted to itemize lump sums in
ttle name of transparency. If
that's not irony-or hypocdsy-I
don't lnow what is," he said.
Th'e senator, knom for his
crusade against the pork barrel
system, reiterated that itemiz;-
tion, or the listing of"individual
items" in the draft budget, was
different ftdm realignment,
"which is to change or restore
lthe funds]to a different [use]."
Said Lacson: "It's bad enough
ttlat the House ... leadership re-
aligned a whopping P95.r billion in
t]le,.. proposed budget for 2019 to
favored districts. It's much more
revolting that they hied to hide it
by invoking'toansparency."'
Citing the flndings of the Sen-
Rolando Andaya Jr.
ate's Legislative Budget Resea.rch
and Monitoring Office, Lacson
said more than P7:.3 billion was
taken away by the House from
the infrastructure projects under
the two "major final outputs" of
the Deparment of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH).
PToB'parked' in DPWH budget
Among tlese wpre big-ticket
projects under the Duterte admin-
istration's infrastructure prograrrl
He said the House leaders al-
" PAq€ -A&"
trace where it will go. You could
call it a veiled effort to conceal
large 'pork insertions' of some
congressmen," he said.
Senate President Vicente
Sotto III has refused to sign the
final version of the budget be-
cause of the allegedly illegal
changes made bythe House. .
Insisting on tleir itemization
clairn, House leaders also steDped
up their attack on the Senate on
Sunday, saying the senators were
Panfilo Lacson to blame for the delay in the sign-
ing ofthe budget.
"Only [Senate President Vi-
so unlawfully siphoned offP79.7 cente sotto III'sl signature is not
billion from several legislative there and he is standing firm
disiricts to other districts and against signing it. Who now is
even "parked" at least P7o bil- blocking the budget and putting
lion in the DPr/VH budget. the nation at risk?" House Major-
Another P15.1 billion was al- ity Leader Fredenil Castro said.
so reallocated from the budget
of the Department of Health for Slower growth rate
the construction of health cen- The government is operat-
ters, according to Lacson. ing on the reenacted 2018 bud-
"Parking the P7o bitlion in get, meaning no new projects
the DPWH central office was canbe funded.
meant to make it difficult for Suchproiects may be funded
people, including myself, to only once the new budget pass-
es into law.
Already, the gove ment's
economic managers have cul
down their groMh projection diis
year to 6-7 percent ftom 7-8 per-
cent as a result of the impasse.
On Saturday, the chair ofthe
House appropriations commit-
tee, Camarines SurRep. Rolando
AndayaJr., issued what sounded
like an ultimatum to.the Senate.
"If the Senate is indeed seri-
ous labout] enacting a .Ceneral
Appropriations Act for 2019, we
have until Maythis year to com-
plete our task," Andaya said.
Currently in fecessl
Congress resumes sessions ol
May 20and sits until June 7. I
"That is our last chance tc
pass the national budget," an]
daya said. He said the. Hous€
had "done its duty.
President Duterte, howeverl
has said that he will not sign the
budget if it is illegal, indicating
he will veto the budget measure
if it is handed to him containing
unlawful realignments. -wrH a
REPoRT FRoM DJ YAP INQ
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